Google Play and iOS games exceed the sales of dedicated handheld titles last quarter

The gaming industry has certainly come a long way since the only way to game on the go was with your chunky old GameBoy. But it seems now we’re in the midst of another big change, as mobile games are slowly beginning to overtake the sales of dedicated portable gaming software.

According to App Annie’s latest Portable Gaming Report, the combined sales from iOS and Google Play mobile platforms exceeded the total sales of dedicated handheld games in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2012, ending on December 31st. Most of the dedicated handheld sales were during the brief holiday period in December, which accounted for 60% of all Nintendo 3DS, PSP, and PS Vita game sales.

Over one-third of all iOS App Store and Google Play Marketplace downloads last quarter were games, and IDC surveys indicate that over 20 billion games were downloaded across all smartphone and tablet platforms in 2012. Clash of Clanscontinued to reign as the top grossing portable game on the iOS platform, while Puzzle & Dragons led the pack on Google Play, and Pokemon Black / White 2 dominated the Nintendo DS/3DS charts. Nintendo shipments topped both Sony’s Vita and PSP by a near 3-to-1 ratio.

I can’t say that a lot of us at Gamezebo will be surprised by this news. I mean, I can’t even remember the last time I bought a game on my Nintendo 3DS, and I don’t think I’ll be picking up a PlayStation Vita anytime soon. Do you tend to buy more mobile games than you do handheld titles these days?